Starting on soft tyres with those around him on mediums should give Charles Leclerc a strong chance of holding onto his lead at the start of the Austrian Grand Prix.
But will starting the rest on the softest available tyres backfire as temperatures are expected to soar even higher at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday?With Lewis Hamilton’s grid penalty having promoted Max Verstappen to the front row, the world championship leader is set to start the race from fourth position alongside team mate Valtteri Bottas. Team principal Toto Wolff believes they, like Verstappen, have done the right thing by choosing to start the race on the medium compound.
“I think that Ferrari [and] Charles starting on the soft is a risky strategy because it is either a two-stop if things go bad tomorrow or you are being very compromised towards the end of your first stint.
“Whereas Red Bull and Mercedes on the medium are in a better place in terms of the strategies that are available to us. So in some way I’d rather be on the medium than on soft.”
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Starting at the front, without the disturbing effect of another car ahead and able to dictate the race pace as he chooses, Leclerc should certainly have the best possible chance to make the strategy work. But as Isola noted if Leclerc can make his softs last for a stint at the beginning of the race, his rivals will take note of that.
“Without graining if we have a tyre life that is a decent tyre life probably in the range of 20, 25 laps it could be also an option to have medium at the beginning when the car is heavy and then finish the race with the soft.” Of course that would still leave Leclerc in the advantageous position of being the first of those to pit, therefore benefitting from the ‘undercut’.
Furthermore, it may simply be the case that the Ferrari is kinder to its tyres and can make them last longer. After all it was Mercedes who experienced problems with blistering at Paul Ricard.
Leclerc is convinced he’s on the right strategy. “We did some analysis after FP2, like every team does after the race simulation, and the soft looked pretty good so we are pretty happy with our strategy.”
The other worry for Mercedes is that, having been bumped back to the second row, their cars will now have to run in hotter air behind other cars. And this on a day when the track temperature is expected to exceed 60C.
“I’m going to have to really nurture the car this weekend,” he said on Thursday. “Which I don’t think is great for the fans in that element because the cars are too heavy, brakes are on the maximum limit. We should be being able to push flat-out.
“This is one of the races, it’s not going to be the same as Montreal, for example, where you can push the whole way. Montreal was cool because I could push the whole way, follow and be close, you won’t see that happen this weekend.
“There’ll be a lot of lift-and-coasting: 300 metres of lift-and-coasting. There’s only 10 corners so that’s a lot of lift-and-coasting. Although you can overtake, there’s more overtaking opportunity here, there’s a smaller delta. But having to cool your car, having to pull back from the car in front of you, might not be such a good thing. But I hope it’s still a good race.”
If Ferrari have got their strategy call right, it looks like being a very good race for Leclerc.
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Qualifying times in full
| Driver | Car | Q1 | Q2 (vs Q1) | Q3 (vs Q2) | |
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’04.138 | 1’03.378 (-0.760) | 1’03.003 (-0.375) |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’03.818 | 1’03.803 (-0.015) | 1’03.262 (-0.541) |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1’03.807 | 1’03.835 (+0.028) | 1’03.439 (-0.396) |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1’04.084 | 1’03.863 (-0.221) | 1’03.537 (-0.326) |
| 5 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1’04.778 | 1’04.466 (-0.312) | 1’04.072 (-0.394) |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1’04.361 | 1’04.211 (-0.150) | 1’04.099 (-0.112) |
| 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 1’04.615 | 1’04.056 (-0.559) | 1’04.166 (+0.110) |
| 8 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 1’04.450 | 1’04.194 (-0.256) | 1’04.179 (-0.015) |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull | 1’04.412 | 1’03.988 (-0.424) | 1’04.199 (+0.211) |
| 10 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1’04.340 | 1’03.667 (-0.673) | |
| 11 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1’04.552 | 1’04.490 (-0.062) | |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1’04.733 | 1’04.516 (-0.217) | |
| 13 | Alexander Albon | Toro Rosso | 1’04.708 | 1’04.665 (-0.043) | |
| 14 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1’04.647 | 1’04.790 (+0.143) | |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | McLaren | 1’04.453 | 1’13.601 (+9.148) | |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point | 1’04.789 | ||
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | 1’04.832 | ||
| 18 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1’05.324 | ||
| 19 | George Russell | Williams | 1’05.904 | ||
| 20 | Robert Kubica | Williams | 1’06.206 |
Sector times
| Driver | Sector 1 | Sector 2 | Sector 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Leclerc | 15.952 (1) | 27.961 (1) | 19.050 (1) |
| Lewis Hamilton | 16.071 (3) | 28.104 (2) | 19.087 (2) |
| Max Verstappen | 16.122 (5) | 28.175 (4) | 19.142 (4) |
| Valtteri Bottas | 16.099 (4) | 28.126 (3) | 19.137 (3) |
| Kevin Magnussen | 16.413 (18) | 28.350 (8) | 19.278 (5) |
| Lando Norris | 16.193 (10) | 28.386 (9) | 19.484 (10) |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 16.152 (7) | 28.282 (5) | 19.522 (11) |
| Antonio Giovinazzi | 16.130 (6) | 28.469 (10) | 19.404 (8) |
| Pierre Gasly | 16.160 (8) | 28.309 (7) | 19.455 (9) |
| Sebastian Vettel | 16.025 (2) | 28.308 (6) | 19.334 (6) |
| Romain Grosjean | 16.442 (19) | 28.473 (11) | 19.396 (7) |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 16.162 (9) | 28.532 (13) | 19.699 (14) |
| Alexander Albon | 16.268 (13) | 28.523 (12) | 19.751 (15) |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 16.206 (11) | 28.755 (18) | 19.686 (13) |
| Carlos Sainz Jnr | 16.218 (12) | 28.594 (16) | 19.608 (12) |
| Sergio Perez | 16.322 (15) | 28.563 (15) | 19.838 (17) |
| Lance Stroll | 16.298 (14) | 28.734 (17) | 19.800 (16) |
| Daniil Kvyat | 16.406 (17) | 28.561 (14) | 19.992 (18) |
| George Russell | 16.390 (16) | 29.306 (19) | 20.150 (20) |
| Robert Kubica | 16.715 (20) | 29.344 (20) | 20.140 (19) |
Speed trap
| Pos | Driver | Car | Engine | Speed (kph/mph) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Ferrari | 325.7 (202.4) | |
| 2 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | Renault | 322.6 (200.5) | -3.1 |
| 3 | Alexander Albon | Toro Rosso | Honda | 322.2 (200.2) | -3.5 |
| 4 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 321.9 (200.0) | -3.8 |
| 5 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 321.8 (200.0) | -3.9 |
| 6 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | Ferrari | 321.5 (199.8) | -4.2 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | McLaren | Renault | 320.6 (199.2) | -5.1 |
| 8 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point | Mercedes | 320.0 (198.8) | -5.7 |
| 9 | Lando Norris | McLaren | Renault | 319.9 (198.8) | -5.8 |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Mercedes | 319.5 (198.5) | -6.2 |
| 11 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Honda | 319.0 (198.2) | -6.7 |
| 12 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | Mercedes | 319.0 (198.2) | -6.7 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | Mercedes | 318.7 (198.0) | -7.0 |
| 14 | George Russell | Williams | Mercedes | 318.4 (197.8) | -7.3 |
| 15 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | Renault | 317.8 (197.5) | -7.9 |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull | Honda | 316.8 (196.9) | -8.9 |
| 17 | Robert Kubica | Williams | Mercedes | 316.5 (196.7) | -9.2 |
| 18 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | Honda | 315.4 (196.0) | -10.3 |
| 19 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | Ferrari | 314.2 (195.2) | -11.5 |
| 20 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | Ferrari | 310.5 (192.9) | -15.2 |
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| Driver | Team | Hard | Medium | Soft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Used | New | Used | New | Used | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Pierre Gasly | Red Bull | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Daniel Riccairdo | Renault | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Carlos Sainz Jnr | McLaren | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Sergio Perez | Racing Point | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Lance Stroll | Racing Point | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Alexander Albon | Toro Rosso | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| George Russell | Williams | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Robert Kubica | Williams | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Over to you
Will Leclerc avenge his lost Bahrain win? Could Max Verstappen score a second consecutive win at home for Red Bull? Or will Mercedes find a way to equal McLaren’s record run of 11 wins in a row?
Share your views on the Austrian Grand Prix in the comments.
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- Paddock Diary: Austrian Grand Prix day four
Mashiat (@mashiat)
30th June 2019, 7:41
You better not have screwed this up Ferrari, I swear…
Nikki (@nikkit)
30th June 2019, 7:47
Honestly, it wouldn’t be that surprising if they have.
Too often over the last two years when Ferrari have been in a good position, it’s been thrown away by poor strategy calls, reliability issues or driver error.
I wonder if they were expecting the other teams to set their Q2 laps on the softs too and now they’re stuck hoping for an early safety car or an inexplicable miracle.
Nikki (@nikkit)
30th June 2019, 7:44
It’s certainly risky.
It’s all going to depend how much life was taken out of the tyres in Qualifying, combined with how much he can get out of them in the race.
He’s going to be quick, but it’s going to be a major problem if he has too pit to early -long before the medium runners- and comes out into traffic.
On the other hand, an early safety car or VSC could work in his favor if it comes at the right time.
Vettel is in a similar boat, also starting on the softs but also with the added factor of having to fight through traffic.
Ipsom
30th June 2019, 8:08
Ferrari strategists at it again
Lems
30th June 2019, 13:36
Hopefully they’ll be right at least for this one time!
KaIIe (@kaiie)
30th June 2019, 8:27
Leclerc should be in a strong position. He just has to stay out in front, nursing his tyres, then pit before anyone else, use the new tyres to bang in some good enough lap times to stay ahead of the medium-runners, and cruise home. Of course, the problem will be making the soft tyres last long enough for him to pit into clear air, and the length of the final stint. But the Ferrari seems to have such a pace advantage this weekend that it shouldn’t be too big a hassle.
Sham (@sham)
30th June 2019, 8:39
Depends how much nursing he has to do. If there’s a train behind him, pitting early will ruin his race.
Looks like a fascinating race ahead.
Sonics (@sonicslv)
30th June 2019, 8:55
@kaiie Not that simple. The short track nature of the circuit means there always will be traffic all over the track. Leclerc best hope is he can stay longer than midfielders that also on soft tires so they trigger the pit train first, giving him a window to stop.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
30th June 2019, 8:41
So if the softs do wear quickly, actually Verstappen may, surprisingly, be in the best position? Red Bull pace strong enough to hold off the Mercs, I reckon. For once this season we might see a fight for the win. Count me excited.
RL
30th June 2019, 8:47
The variables in this race should make the GP more exciting to watch than last week. Once again after a GP which seemed like the world was ending, “The Hills Are Alive” once again…
Rui (@colinmcrui)
30th June 2019, 11:39
Are the sector times the best of the three sessions? Must be, at least over the two laps in Q3, otherwise BOT would have qualified ahead of VER.
Simon
30th June 2019, 11:40
You said Hamilton starts 4th, but I thought it’s 5th, as he has a 3 grid place penalty.
Lems
30th June 2019, 12:34
He’s starting 4th as K MAG has a five place grid penalty hence nobody above him except Ham who has 3, has a grid penalty. Chain bear f1 in YouTube has explained it well enough to understand.
Simon
30th June 2019, 12:43
Thanks for the explanation. I think I understand it now, but I don’t think I could explain it well to someone else. haha
Lems
30th June 2019, 13:35
👍